Chapter 1899 — The Drinking Contest, Part Two
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
The two had run together for many years; a single look from Zhang Duopan and Fan Ganhe understood. Zhang Duopan could not hold his liquor, but for the sake of victory, tricks would have to be played.
Fan Ganhe had already lost face once, so now he put his jacket back on and left the private room to find the waiter and buy the liquor. This time, though, he was gone a good while and did not return until quite some time had passed. To allay suspicion, he announced as he came in: "That waiter—last time I gave him three hundred, and this time I gave him two hundred and he's not happy about it!"
"Ha, no wonder you were gone so long. I thought you couldn't find anyone and went to buy the liquor yourself," Zhang Duopan said with a laugh.
The two spoke so naturally that no one grew suspicious—except Wei Zhao, who gave Fan Ganhe a long, knowing look. Something did not add up. Fan Ganhe had been so generous before, and it had surely been Zhang Duopan's money he was spending. But if it was Zhang Duopan's money, was there really any need to haggle with the waiter over the missing hundred yuan?
"You three go ahead. I'm going to the restroom..." Wang Xinyan rose and left the private room, saying this to the others.
They waited in the room a while, and still the waiter had not brought the liquor back, so Fan Ganhe said, "I'll go take a look and see what's taking so long."
Fan Ganhe stepped out of the private room and saw the waiter, who had long since returned and was waiting there. He hurried over and asked anxiously, "Well? Is it done?"
"Don't worry, when I handle a job, you've got nothing to fear! Boss, this bottle of Erguotou—the cap's already been opened. As you asked, I swapped the contents for mineral water. This bottle here is still sealed; it's still baijiu inside!" the waiter explained to Fan Ganhe.
"Good, very well done!" Fan Ganhe nodded in satisfaction.
"It's nothing. You've given me such a generous tip, boss—if I couldn't even manage a little thing like this, I'd be ashamed to take the money," the waiter said.
Fan Ganhe said nothing. He picked up the two bottles of Erguotou and headed straight back into the private room—and this very scene happened to be witnessed by Wang Xinyan, who was just returning from the restroom.
Wang Xinyan frowned, walked into the private room, came up beside Wei Zhao, and whispered a few words into his ear.
"Don't worry. A little liquor like this doesn't affect me at all. Driving is no problem," Wei Zhao said with a smile, winking at Wang Xinyan.
Wang Xinyan was taken aback. She had plainly told Wei Zhao about the trick Fan Ganhe had pulled, and his answer was utterly baffling. But Wang Xinyan was sharp as ice and snow; she would never assume Wei Zhao had failed to hear her clearly. His saying that was probably because he did not want Fan Ganhe to grow suspicious.
The thought that Wei Zhao's reply had been rather ambiguous—almost as if she were the one worried about him—brought a faint blush to Wang Xinyan's cheeks. Under the dim glow of the KTV private room, she looked all the more delicate and lovely, and the sight filled Fan Ganhe's heart with both delight and fury.
Wang Xinyan actually cared about Wei Zhao—however you looked at it, these two did not seem like mere ordinary friends.